Thursday, March 25, 2010

oops


At the library two weeks ago, Saben comes running up to me with a book. "Look at this amazing explosion mom!". On the cover is a picture of the Hindenburg, exploding and in full flame. I immediately took it from him and flipped through it to make sure there were no gory pictures. It was clean enough for a book about an accident that killed 35 people and I said we could get it.

One thing led to another and as a "consequence", saben did not get to check out any books after all that day. So today, at the library, I went and found the book, checked it out and we read it this afternoon.

It was written 1st person from the perspective of a teen girl and went on & on, describing what it was like to fly on the ship. Super interesting, but we skipped more than 1/2. Then we get to the part where it explodes and I'm choking up...the way they wrote it was super realistic. Then I turn the page and there are burned people pictures! Turns out I accidentally got a similar but different book - one that included some guy with a 1/2 charred face. UGH. Please no nightmares tonite....saben did say it wasn't scary. Apparently a cat chasing mice in Cinderella is terrifying, but burned faces are not.

And it turns out, the 1st person narrator (teen girl) DIES after jumping from the ship. Oh, but first she watches a fellow passenger get smashed by a metal beam and watches a teddy bear melt into her hand. I should have known the Hindenburg isn't exactly 5 year old material, but I was trying so hard to nurture his interest in explosions and "gently" introduce the reality that they hurt people and aren't just "cool". Plan backfire.

Oh well.

3 comments:

~beautyandjoy~ said...

poor saben, poor you!

Betsy said...

Dang! His Auntie may have told him about the Hindenburg blowing up (but not about the deaths)...that book sounds super sad, though!

Anonymous said...

Kari, this cracks me up. Simon found that book this week! He rememebered exactly where it was when we were there with you guys. Boys. ~Anna.